Four decades ago, crowds gathered in Durham for what was termed a demonstration with the “Big Meeting” in hiatus on cost cutting grounds. Those who attended found circumstances much different to those we see today.
The pubs were closed, shops boarded up anticipating trouble and Margaret Thatcher sat atop of the Conservative Party at the height of her power. It is perhaps somewhat ironic given the shops and drinking establishments will do a roaring trade in Durham today that I towns and villages right across the North East are blighted by closed pubs and boarded up shops.
This as a result, not of the miners, but decades of Tory destruction and a failure to replace the jobs they destroyed. Forty years ago, we dare not forecast the decimation of the Conservative Party that they faced last week.
The Thatcher years
In 1984 Margaret Thatcher and her cabinet of extremists began their assault on working class solidarity by singling out the country’s strongest trade union. For myself, my family, and my community this meant a year without a wage packet and survival through solidarity alone.
That year politicised me. I heard some of the finest debates I have ever witnessed take place on the picket line. These were not carried out in cut glass English accents between Oxbridge graduates but of ordinary men who had crafted their debating styles in the bowels of the earth and women who were thrust into the limelight by circumstance.
READ MORE: NEC elections: Starmerites lead left on CLP nominations despite reps withdrawing to become MPs
I also witnessed some of the finest organisation, project managed and delivered by ordinary people.
A community with no money was sustained through a network of collections, the organisation of soup kitchens and sheer determination. From harvesting union owned potato fields, to juggernauts of Christmas cheer from the continent the strike was as exhilarating as it was brutal.
We should never forget what it was that the miners were fighting for back in 1984-85. It was never a dispute about wages, terms or conditions but a fight for the very future of our communities. Our communities remain but all bear the scars of the industrial vandalism meted out on them.
The present day
Prior to the election I was asked what I thought the biggest issues facing my constituency were. My view has not changed since the first time I was elected back in 2010.
Our communities suffer with poor health, low life expectancy and a lack of opportunities. All of these are linked to closure of an industry which for more than a century sustained us. I am absolutely delighted that issues that I have fought all my life to have included in Labour manifestos will now be addressed in government. I have made speeches for decades both as an NUM official and a Member of Parliament calling for the unfair distribution of the Mineworkers’ Pension Scheme to be tackled.
And on many occasions, I have called for a real inquiry into the policing of the strike. Indeed, as the crowds gathered in Durham to hear speeches in 1984, Arthur Scargill pleaded with the then Labour leader, Neil Kinnock to overturn the convictions dealt out to miners.
READ MORE: Durham Miners’ Gala 2024: Live updates as event marks 40 years since strike
Perhaps with the pledge to hold an investigation or inquiry into Orgreave we are a step closer, four decades later, to achieving this aim. My own personal view is that whilst Orgreave was a terrible incident, it was only one incident in a dispute that saw coalfields up and down the country turned into war zones by what can at best be termed overzealous policing.
People lost their livelihoods and many, who had never been in trouble before or afterwards, carried the shame of convictions. I will be making the case that the terms of reference are extended beyond one shameful day in South Yorkshire. True justice for mining communities will only be achieved when those living in them today see the same levels of opportunity and security that I had in my youth.
I am pleased that the gimmick phrase of ‘levelling up’ has been scrapped. But we need real opportunity to be built in the former coalfields so that young people regardless of their abilities are not forced to leave their homes or into insecure poorly paid work. Those who worked in the industry must also see justice themselves.
This must begin with revolutionising our health and social care system so that those living with legacy issues from the coal mining industry, disease and disablement are able to enjoy happier and healthier lives.
Committing to change
At the recent general election, Labour won a landslide on a message of change. But for too many of the thousands of people I spoke to during the campaign they just didn’t believe anything would.
We have a duty not only to those who voted for us, but to those who have lost hope in politics, that we actually deliver.
If we fail to do so, a vision of what the future could hold is playing out across the channel. Emmanuel Macron’s bland, technocratic, centrism and its failure to tackle the fundamental issues in France has led to a surge of support for the far right.
It has only been defeated by an alliance with the left and their bold, hopeful vision for the future. We should take note of this and act before it is too late.
READ MORE: Sign up to our must-read daily briefing email on all things Labour
SHARE: If you have anything to share that we should be looking into or publishing about this story – or any other topic involving Labour or the election – contact us (strictly anonymously if you wish) at [email protected].
SUBSCRIBE: Sign up to LabourList’s morning email here for the best briefing on everything Labour, every weekday morning.
DONATE: If you value our work, please donate to become one of our supporters here and help sustain and expand our coverage.
PARTNER: If you or your organisation might be interested in partnering with us on sponsored events or content, email [email protected].
